TWI660384B - Waterproof electronic device and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A waterproof electronic device includes a keyboard module, a first casing, and a first waterproof layer. The keyboard module has a plurality of keycaps. The first casing is located on the keyboard module and has an upper surface. The upper surface of the first casing has a plurality of first openings to expose the plurality of keycaps. The first waterproof layer covers the upper surface of the first casing and the plurality of keycaps, and the first waterproof layer includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer.

Description

Waterproof electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

The invention relates to a waterproof electronic device and a manufacturing method thereof.

With the advancement of technology, various electronic products such as notebook computers, tablet computers and smart phones have been widely used in daily life. Generally, an electronic device generally has a gap between exposed parts (for example, between a case of a notebook computer and a keycap of a keyboard or between a case and a touchpad). When an electronic device is used, external environmental dust, water vapor, or other liquids can easily penetrate the electronic device through the gap and cause damage to the electronic device.

Therefore, there is a need for an electronic device with a higher waterproof and dustproof level to avoid the above problems.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a waterproof electronic device is provided, including a keyboard module, a first casing, and a first waterproof layer. The keyboard module has a plurality of keycaps. The first case is located above the keyboard module, where the first case It has an upper surface, and the upper surface has a plurality of first openings to expose a plurality of keycaps. The first waterproof layer covers a plurality of keycaps on the upper surface of the first casing, wherein the first waterproof layer includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof electronic device further includes a touch panel module under the first casing, wherein the touch panel module has a touch sensing area, and the upper surface of the first casing has a second The opening exposes the touch sensing area, and the first waterproof layer covers the touch sensing area.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the fabric layer is located under the waterproof rubber layer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the clothing layer is polyester, and the waterproof rubber layer is polyurethane (Polyurethane, PU).

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof electronic device further includes a second casing and a second waterproof layer. The second casing is disposed under the keyboard module, so that the keyboard module is sandwiched between the first casing and the second casing, wherein the second casing has a lower surface exposed to the outside.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof electronic device further includes a first adhesive layer located between the first waterproof layer and the upper surface of the first casing, and covering the upper surface of the first casing.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof electronic device further includes a second adhesive layer between the keycap and the first waterproof layer, wherein the second adhesive layer covers a part of the keycap.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device is provided. Performing a drawing process to form a plurality of keycap regions of a waterproof material; forming a first adhesive layer on the upper surface of the first casing, wherein the upper surface of the first casing has a plurality of first openings; and The manufacturing process makes the first surface of the waterproof material adhere to the upper surface of the first casing, wherein the keycap region of the waterproof material is aligned with the first opening of the first casing.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the drawing process includes forming a touchpad region of a waterproof material, the upper surface of the first casing has a second opening, and the touchpad region is aligned with the second opening during the laminating process. .

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the drawing process includes placing the waterproof material into the first jig, heating the waterproof material at about 70-80 ° C, and drawing air from the first surface of the waterproof material for about 20-30 seconds.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the laminating process includes placing the waterproof material and the first casing in a second jig, and heating the first adhesive layer at about 115-125 ° C, so that the first surface of the waterproof material and the The upper surface of the first casing is adhered by hot pressing through the first adhesive layer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof material includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the drawing glue has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.07 mm.

10‧‧‧Method

12, 14, 16, 18 ‧‧‧ operation

100‧‧‧Touchpad Module

110‧‧‧touch sensing area

112, 212‧‧‧Top

200‧‧‧ keyboard module

210‧‧‧Keycap

300‧‧‧First case

310‧‧‧ Top surface

312‧‧‧ lower surface

320‧‧‧ second opening

330‧‧‧First opening

340‧‧‧Second case

350‧‧‧ lower surface

400‧‧‧The first waterproof layer

400a‧‧‧The first waterproof material

410‧‧‧first surface

412‧‧‧Second surface

414‧‧‧Pump

416‧‧‧hole

420‧‧‧Touchpad area

430‧‧‧Keycap area

440‧‧‧Second waterproof layer

500‧‧‧ Adhesive layer

510‧‧‧first adhesive layer

520‧‧‧Second adhesive layer

530‧‧‧Third adhesive layer

600‧‧‧Second Jig

610‧‧‧Top

620‧‧‧ bottom

1000‧‧‧ Waterproof electronic device

When reading the accompanying drawings, the following detailed description can fully understand the aspects of this disclosure. It is worth noting that according to industry standard practice, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, for a clear discussion, The size of various features can be increased or decreased arbitrarily.

Figures 1-2 are exploded views of a waterproof electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

4-7 are schematic diagrams of steps in a manufacturing process of a waterproof electronic device according to various embodiments of the present invention.

In the following, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed graphically. For the sake of clarity, many practical details will be described in the following description. It should be understood, however, that these practical details should not be used to limit the invention. That is, in some embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are unnecessary. In addition, in order to simplify the illustration, some conventional structures and components will be shown in a simple and schematic manner in the illustration.

In this article, spatial relative terms such as "below", "below", "above", "above", etc. are used to facilitate the description of the relative relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature, such as Shown in the figure. The true meaning of these spatial relative terms includes other directions. For example, when the icon is flipped 180 degrees up and down, the relationship between one component and another component may change from "below" and "below" to "above" and "above". In addition, the spatially relative descriptions used in this article should be interpreted the same.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Exploded view of water electronic device 1000. The waterproof electronic device 1000 includes a touch panel module 100, a keyboard module 200, a first casing 300, and a first waterproof layer 400. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the waterproof electronic device 1000 may be a notebook computer, but is not limited thereto. The waterproof electronic device 1000 may further include other components, which will be described below.

Please refer to Figure 1. The touch panel module 100 has a touch sensing area 110, and the touch sensing area 110 has a top surface 112. The keyboard module 200 has a plurality of keycaps 210, and each of the keycaps 210 has a top surface 212 separated from each other. In some embodiments, each keycap 210 may have a different size and shape. It should be understood that the configuration, quantity, size, and shape of the touch sensing area 110 and the keycap 210 shown in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and a suitable configuration, quantity, size, and shape can be selected according to requirements.

The first casing 300 is located on the touch panel module 100 and the keyboard module 200. The first casing 300 has an upper surface 310, a lower surface 312, a second opening 320, and a plurality of first openings 330. The second opening 320 exposes the touch sensing area 110 of the touch panel module 100, and the plurality of first openings 330 exposes the keycaps 210 of the keyboard module 200. As shown in FIG. 1, the second openings 320 are aligned with the touch sensing area 110, and each of the first openings 330 is respectively aligned with a keycap 210. The arrangement, number, size and shape of the second openings 320 and the first openings 330 correspond to the touch sensing area 110 and the keycap 210 aligned with them, respectively. In some embodiments, the top surface 112 of the touch sensing area 110 is lower than the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300. In some embodiments, each of the keycaps 210 protrudes from the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300 by a first opening 330 aligned with the keycap 210, respectively. According to various embodiments of the invention, The material of the first casing 300 includes metal, metal alloy or plastic. In some embodiments, the first casing 300 may be an aluminum alloy. According to various embodiments of the present invention, other unillustrated electronic components may be further disposed under the first casing 300, such as a circuit board, a battery, or other suitable electronic components.

The first waterproof layer 400 covers the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300, the touch sensing area 110 and the keycaps 210. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the first waterproof layer 400 includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer. In various embodiments, the fabric layer may carry a waterproof rubber layer. For example, the waterproof rubber layer may be located on at least one surface of the clothing layer. In certain embodiments, the fabric layer may have a cloth feel. For example, the clothing layer may be a fabric. In some embodiments, the clothing layer may include, but is not limited to, polyester fibers, nylon, spandex, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the fabric layer may include a non-woven fabric, leather, or other suitable material. In some embodiments, the waterproof adhesive layer may be polyurethane (PU), rubber, or silicone, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the waterproof rubber layer may penetrate into the clothing layer and be combined with the clothing layer. As shown in FIG. 1, the first waterproof layer 400 has a first surface 410, a second surface 412, a touchpad region 420, and a plurality of keycap regions 430. The touch panel area 420 is aligned with the second opening 320 of the first chassis 300 and the touch sensing area 110 of the touch panel module 100. Each of the keycap regions 430 is respectively aligned with one of the first openings 330 of the first casing 300 and one of the keycaps 210 of the keyboard module 200. In addition, the number, size, and shape of the touchpad region 420 and the keycap region 430 correspond to the second opening 320, the touch sensing region 110 and the first opening 330, and the keycap 210, respectively, aligned with them. In some embodiments, the touchpad region 420 is recessed toward the first surface 410 of the first waterproof layer 400. In certain embodiments, each The keycap regions 430 protrude from the second surface 412 of the first waterproof layer 400.

Please continue to refer to Figure 1. In some embodiments, the waterproof electronic device 1000 further includes an adhesive layer 500 located between the first surface 410 of the first waterproof layer 400 and the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer 500 includes a first adhesive layer 510 and a second adhesive layer 520. The first adhesive layer 510 covers the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300. The second adhesive layer 520 is located between the first surface 410 of the first waterproof layer 400 and the top surface 112 of the touch sensing area 110, and between the first surface 410 of the first waterproof layer 400 and each keycap 210. between. In some embodiments, the first adhesive layer 510 and the second adhesive layer 520 may be hot-melt adhesive. In some embodiments, the second adhesive layer 520 covers a part of the touch sensing area 210 and a part of each keycap 210. For example, the second adhesive layer 520 is shrunk by about 1-3 mm from the edge of the top surface 112 of the touch sensing area 110 and about 1-3 mm from the edge of the top surface 212 of the keycap 210. The second adhesive layer 520 partially covers the touch sensing area 210 and the keycap 210 to prevent the first waterproof layer 400 from sticking the first case 300, the touch sensing area 210 and the keycap 210 in a subsequent process. As a result, the touch panel module 100 and the keyboard module 200 cannot be pressed.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the waterproof electronic device 1000 according to various embodiments of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 2. In some embodiments, the waterproof electronic device 1000 further includes a second casing 340 and a second waterproof layer 440. The second casing 340 is disposed under the touch panel module 100 and the keyboard module 200, so that the touch panel module 100 and the keyboard module 200 are sandwiched between the first casing 300 and the second casing 340. The second casing 340 has a lower surface 350 exposed to the outside, and a second waterproof layer 440 covers the lower surface 350 of the second casing 340. In some embodiments, the waterproof electronic device 1000 further includes a third adhesive layer 530 located between the second waterproof layer 440 and the second casing 340. The material of the second casing 340 may be the same as that of the first casing 300, and the material of the second waterproof layer 440 may also be the same as that of the first waterproof layer 400, so it is not repeated here.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device 1000 according to various embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the method 10 includes an operation 12, an operation 14, an operation 16, and an operation 18. 4-7 are schematic cross-sectional views of each step of the manufacturing process of the waterproof electronic device 1000 according to the method 10 shown in FIG. 1.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. In operation 12 of the method 10, the drawing glue 414 is applied to the first surface 410 of the first waterproof material 400 a. In various embodiments, the first waterproof material 400a includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer (not shown in the figure). In some embodiments, the drawing glue 414 may be coated on the waterproof glue layer of the first waterproof material 400a. In certain embodiments, the fabric layer may have a cloth feel. For example, the clothing layer may be a fabric. In some embodiments, the clothing layer includes, but is not limited to, polyester fibers, nylon, spandex, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the fabric layer comprises a non-woven fabric, leather, or other suitable material. In some embodiments, the waterproof adhesive layer includes, but is not limited to, polyurethane (PU), rubber, or silicone. In some embodiments, the drawing-out adhesive layer 414 covers at least the first surface 410 of the first waterproof material 400a to form the touchpad region 420 and the keycap region 430 in subsequent operations. In some embodiments, the thickness of the drawing glue layer 414 is about 0.02 to about 0.07 mm, but is not limited thereto. The drawing glue layer 414 with a suitable thickness may be selected according to requirements. In some embodiments, the first waterproof material 400a has a plurality of holes 416, In order to be positioned with the first casing 300 in the subsequent drawing and bonding process.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, in operation 14 of method 10, a drawing process is performed to form a touch panel region 420 and a plurality of keycap regions 430 of the first waterproof material 400 a. In various embodiments, the drawing process includes placing the first waterproof material 400a into a first jig (not shown), heating the first waterproof material 400a at about 70-80 ° C, and The first surface 410 is evacuated for about 20-30 seconds. Heating the first waterproof material 400a in this temperature range can prevent the waterproof rubber layer and the clothing layer in the first waterproof material 400a from separating and losing the waterproof effect. In some embodiments, the touchpad region 420 is recessed toward the first surface 410 of the first waterproof material 400a. In some embodiments, each keycap region 430 protrudes from the second surface 412 of the first waterproof material 400a. In some embodiments, after the drawing process is performed to form the touchpad region 420 and the plurality of keycap regions 430, the first waterproof material 400 a is cooled to shape the touchpad region 420 and the plurality of keycap regions 430.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, in operation 16 of method 10, a first adhesive layer 510 is formed on the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300, wherein the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300 has a second opening 320. And a plurality of first openings 330. In some embodiments, the first adhesive layer 510 may be a hot-melt adhesive, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4-5, in operation 18 of method 10, a laminating process is performed so that the first surface 410 of the first waterproof material 400a (as shown in FIG. 5) and the first casing 300 ( (As shown in FIG. 6), the upper surface 310 is attached, wherein the touchpad area 420 of the first waterproof material 400a is aligned with the second opening 320 of the first case 300, and each keycap area of the first waterproof material 400a 430 is aligned with one of the first openings 330 of the first casing 300. After the laminating process is performed, the first waterproof material 400a covers the entire upper surface 310, the second opening 320, and the first opening 330 of the first casing 300. In various embodiments, the bonding process includes placing the first waterproof material 400a and the first casing 300 in a second jig 600 (shown in FIG. 6), and heating the first adhesive at about 115-125 ° C. The layer 510 allows the first surface 410 of the first waterproof material 400a and the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300 to be thermally bonded together by the first adhesive layer 510. In some embodiments, the second jig 600 includes a top portion 610 and a bottom portion 620. In some embodiments, the top 610 of the second jig 600 has a touch panel region 420 with a convex portion (not shown) corresponding to the first waterproof material 400a, and a key corresponding to the concave portion (not shown) and the first waterproof material 400a. Cap area 430. In some embodiments, the bottom 620 of the second jig 600 has a shape that matches the top 610.

Please refer to Figure 7. In some embodiments, the method 10 further includes cutting a portion of the first waterproof material 400 a beyond the upper surface 310 of the first case 300 to form the first waterproof layer 400. For example, the first waterproof material 400a beyond the upper surface 310 of the first casing 300 is cut with a laser. The first waterproof layer 400 is integrally formed and completely covers the upper surface 310, the second opening 320, and the plurality of first openings 330 of the first casing 300, so that liquid or dust can be prevented from flowing from the upper surface of the first casing 300 310 penetrates inside the electronic device 1000.

In some embodiments, the method 10 further includes forming a second waterproof layer 440 on the lower surface 350 of the second casing 340 (shown in FIG. 2). Thereafter, the touchpad module 100, the keyboard module 200, and other electronic components not shown are disposed in the second casing 340 having the second waterproof layer 440 and the first casing 300 having the first waterproof layer 400. in.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, after the first waterproof material is drawn out, it is hot-pressed and adhered to the upper surface of the first casing of the electronic device to form an integrally formed first waterproof layer. The first waterproof layer completely covers the upper surface of the first casing, the touch sensing area of the touchpad module, and the keycap area of the keyboard module. In other words, the upper surface of the first casing, the touchpad module and the keyboard module will not be exposed to the outside world, and therefore, liquid and dust can be prevented from passing between the first casing and the touchpad module or the keyboard module. The gap between them penetrates the inside of the electronic device, and can reach the dustproof and waterproof level of IP68.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and retouches without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection of the present invention The scope shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device includes: coating a drawing glue on a first surface of a waterproof material; performing a drawing process to form a plurality of keycap regions of the waterproof material, wherein the drawing process includes Put the waterproof material in a first jig, heat the waterproof material at about 70-80 ° C, and extract air from the first surface of the waterproof material for about 20-30 seconds; form a first adhesive layer on a An upper surface of the first casing, wherein the upper surface of the first casing has a plurality of first openings; and a laminating process is performed to make the first surface of the waterproof material and the upper surface of the first casing Surface bonding, wherein each of the keycap regions of the waterproof material is aligned with each of the first openings of the first casing. The method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing process includes forming a touch panel area of the waterproof material, the upper surface of the first casing has a second opening, and the touch The plate area is aligned with the second opening during the bonding process. The method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the bonding process includes placing the waterproof material and the first casing in a second jig, and heating the first at about 115-125 ° C. The adhesive layer makes the first surface of the waterproof material and the upper surface of the first casing heat-bonded by the first adhesive layer. The method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof material includes a clothing layer and a waterproof rubber layer. The method for manufacturing a waterproof electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing glue has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.07 mm.